RailWorks

Don't Get Me wrong, I like trains as much as the next guy. I'll happily spend hours building the perfect layout in Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe before switching to Railroad Tycoon 3 to watch the money roll in. But a train simulator? I've never delved that deep into the world of steam power.

RailWorks is essentially a skeleton, ready to be built upon with overpriced DLC from other devs. The core game only gives you a limited selection of train routes from around the world.

Having picked out a route and a subsequent scenario, what comes next is a meandering drive from station A to station B, picking up passengers and adhering to the law of the tracks (watch for red signals while driving within the speed limit). Thrilling stuff. For those who want less structure, Free Mode removes the mission handholding and, for customisation, there's the Route Editor.

When you're placed behind the controls of your locomotive, the game picks up a bit. That childhood dream to become a train driver takes over as you slowly pick up speed. You'll happily chug along, pulling the horn, taking over the rails. Then you'll realise this is it. You've got 30 lovingly recreated miles of track to sit through before the next station. Then you'll jam the throttle to full and career into the back of a slow-moving commuter service.

OK, I'm not playing it as I should, but I always wanted to be a suicidal train driver. Realistically, this is a game for those who need no convincing. They're already behind the controls of the 19.17 to York. For everyone else, don't bother.